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 Episode 7: Las cartas de papá
(My Dad’s Letters)

Words to Know in Advance

muerte death
silencio silence
emociones feelings
viajar travel
segura safe
barrio neighborhood
entretenerla (entretener) entertain her
recordar remember
borde edge
estampa/estampilla stamp
amor a distancia long-distance relationship
para que no pensara en so she wouldn’t think about
el valor de la palabra the importance of one’s word
dedicación dedication
lloré (llorar) I cried
pelea fight
Pre-Listening
1. After reading the title and word list, what do you think this story will be about?
2. Have you ever written or read a handwritten letter? What did it talk about? Is it
different from reading or writing electronic messages?

Listening Comprehension
1. [2:05] How did Rodrigo react to Tom Schmidt’s death?
2. [2:44] What is Carolina’s dad like?
3. [5:25] What did she notice when she arrived to the Schmidt’s neighborhood?
4. [6:28] How did Carolina imagine her stay would be with Abuela Schmidt?
5. [7:31] How was her stay different from what she had imagined?
6. [8:01] How did Carolina describe her dad’s letters?
7. [9:09] What did Rodrigo write about to the Schmidt’s?
8. [11:43] What did Carolina and Abuela Schmidt do on Mother’s Day?
9. [14:25] What did the Schmidts teach Rodrigo?
10.[16:31] What did Carolina do after reading that letter from 1984?

Post-Listening Comprehension

1. What did Carolina initially think of her father’s way of life?

2. How important were the Schmidts in Rodrigo’s life?
3. What did Carolina learn from the trip to Cincinnati?

Discussion

1. Do people write letters nowadays? Why or why not?

2. Apart from the members of your family, which other people can be influential in
your life?
3. Do you think it’s important to reconnect with your parents’ childhood? Why or
why not?
4. Is there a penpals program in your school? Would you sign up for it?

Other Interesting Stuff

● History can be a challenging subject at school, but what if there were a different
way of learning it? For example, reading handwritten letters from soldiers from
the First World War! Curious? Have a look here.
● What do you think about writing to your future self to compare your life now
and who you will become? Try it out following these steps.

https://www.podcast.duolingo.com/